Fairhope's Nate Andrews joins Senior Bowl roster in time for final full practice

Florida State safety Nate Andrews got the call to come to the Reese's Senior Bowl on Thursday with little time to spare if he was going to make the South's 3:30 p.m. practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. He had an opportunity to tell only his mother, leaving it to her to relay to family and friends that another home-grown all-star had joined Saturday's game.

Andrews played at Fairhope High School before going to Florida State. On Thursday, Andrews was back on the turf at Ladd-Peebles Stadium for the first time since Fairhope beat Davidson 10-0 in an AHSAA Class 6A playoff game on Nov. 9, 2012, when Andrews scored the game's only touchdown.

Andrews has been training in Duluth, Georgia, to prepare for a run at the NFL, but was coming to Mobile anyway on Thursday to meet with the some of the pro scouts gathered in the Port City for the Senior Bowl. About an hour before practice, he got the word he'd be part of the game.

"I was actually meeting with my agent, and we were talking about meeting with some scouts and (Senior Bowl Executive Director) Phil Savage called," Andrews said. "I had no idea I was going to be invited, though. I was coming down here to meet with scouts, and Phil Savage called my agent. I'm blessed. I was so excited."

The Senior Bowl needed Andrews as an injury replacement. Clemson linebacker Dorian O'Daniel and Virginia linebacker Micah Kiser won't be able to play in Saturday's game. The Senior Bowl tapped Andrews and Vanderbilt linebacker Oren Burks to fill their spots on the South roster.

In the days when the Senior Bowl held a practice each week at W.C. Majors Field, Andrews attended regularly.

"I watched this game growing up," Andrews said. "They actually used to practice on my high school field, so I used to always go up there and watch."

On Thursday, Andrews did a lot of listening, but not much watching. The Houston Texans coaching staff threw him in the deep end of the pool to see if he could swim.

"It was tough," Andrews said after practice. "These guys out here, these are some of the best players. I played in the ACC, and any of these guys could have easily played in the ACC. These guys are good -- really good. I was working all day."

After Thursday afternoon's practice, Andrews headed back to the hotel to study his playbook and talk with NFL personnel. He didn't get the whole week to make an impression, but he planned to do the best with the time he has.

"Hopefully, this will be an opportunity for some team to find me," Andrews said. "That's the ultimate goal."

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At Fairhope, Andrews earned All-State recognition as a wide receiver in 2011 and fill the athlete slot on the Class 6A All-State team in 2012, when he played quarterback for the Pirates.

Andrews' collegiate career got off to a strong start as he made an immediate impact in the Seminoles' secondary. But in his junior season, the injuries started, and he received a medical redshirt for the 2016 campaign, bringing him back for a second try at his senior season in 2017.

The Reese's Senior Bowl will kick off at 1:30 p.m. CST Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile. NFL Network will televise the game.